Forty-year-old Abdul Rahman Al-Atwi of Tabuk was arrested by Israeli forces in 2005 after he crossed into Israel from Egypt. In March 2005, an Israeli court sentenced him to three months in jail. Since no diplomatic ties exist between the Kingdom and Israel, Al-Atwi should have ideally been released to a third country that could facilitate his return to Saudi Arabia.
Abdul Nasser Farawana, director of the Palestinian National Authority’s department of statistics, confirmed to Al-Riyadh newspaper that Al-Atwi’s case had been resolved. He has made contacts with his family through the Red Cross.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal confirmed on April 4, 2006, that Israel was holding the Saudi national and that Riyadh was in contact with the UN to secure his release.
Al-Atwi went on three hunger strikes ranging from 70 to 90 days since his imprisonment, according to earlier reports in Arab News.
Before his arrest, Al-Atwi was living in a flat in Al-Muhandiseen district in Egypt.
His family claimed that he lost his way on a hiking trip in Sinai. Al-Atwi is divorced with a daughter. He worked in the Civil Defense before moving to work for a company in Makkah.
